University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Open Access Dissertations 9-2013 Seeds of a New Economy? A Qualitative Investigation of Diverse Economic Practices Within Community Supported Agriculture and Community Supported Enterprise Ted White University of Massachusetts Amherst, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/open_access_dissertations Part of the Geography Commons, and the Other Economics Commons Recommended Citation White, Ted, "Seeds of a New Economy? A Qualitative Investigation of Diverse Economic Practices Within Community Supported Agriculture and Community Supported Enterprise" (2013). Open Access Dissertations. 824. https://doi.org/10.7275/2spq-jg02 https://scholarworks.umass.edu/open_access_dissertations/824 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Open Access Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SEEDS OF A NEW ECONOMY? A QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF DIVERSE ECONOMIC PRACTICES WITHIN COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE AND COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ENTERPRISE A Dissertation Presented by TED WHITE Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY September 2013 Department of Geosciences © Copyright by Ted White 2013 All Rights Reserved SEEDS OF A NEW ECONOMY? A QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF DIVERSE ECONOMIC PRACTICES WITHIN COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE AND COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ENTERPRISE A Dissertation Presented by TED WHITE Approved as to style and content by: _________________________________ Eve Vogel, Chair _________________________________ Katherine Gibson, Member _________________________________ Krista Harper, Member ______________________________ R. Mark Leckie, Department Head Department of Geosciences ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, it is my family that needs acknowledgement. My wife Katie, my son Becket, and daughter Eve have helped me cultivate joy, curiosity, a sense of duty, and deep reflection during this process. In ways impossible to quantify, they are very much authors of this work too. Next, I thank Julie Graham, Katherine Gibson, and Jenny Cameron, all deeply loving, caring humans and hugely important mentors to me in the realm of discovering and investigating community economies and diverse economies. To Julie, in particular, whose passing occurred during my doctoral journey, I am so grateful to have met and been infused with her intellectual vigor and her personal warmth. Julie was my orginal PhD advisor, and in her last years our meetings often took place at her house or sometimes in her lovely garden which she hired me to maintain. Our many outdoor conversations about trees, plants, colors, textures, fragrances, various birds, and the snake that lived under her stone steps wonderfully complimented our intellectual exchanges. Thanks to Eve Vogel, who has been dedicated to helping me better understand my own work, and who has been so compassionate and aware of the challenges of being an academic, primary breadwinner and parent. To Krista Harper, whose inspiring and practical Qualitative Methods course helped me to view the many, many hours of this doctoral field research as a deeply exciting adventure. iv To Janelle Cornwell, Karen Werner, and Stephen Healy, members of the tiny, dear, and ephemeral Community Economies Research Network. Thank you all for your generous support and friendship, and for putting laughter, creativity and heart into academia. To Oona Morrow, Ed Harris, Abby Templer, Leo Juan Hwang-Carlos, Ethan Miller, Cordelia Sand, Miram Maynard-Ford and many other friends from the Community Economies Collective, for camaraderie, many stimulating conversations, and cross- pollination. To Adam Trott, inspiring thinker and speaker, and kind hearted action man. To the National Science Foundation for providing funding (and by association a deeply meaningful sense of validation) for this research via their Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement grants program. Thanks to a wide variety of UMass Amherst faculty, staff and fellow grad students: Dick Wilkie, Elizabeth and Mark Hamin, Ethan Carr, Rud Platt, Ellen Pader, Laurie Brown, Mark Leckie, Piper Guabatz, Stan Stevens, George Roberson, Alan Marcus, Lorna Stinchfield, Nicole Pietraszkiewicz , Jenn Nikonczyk, Marsha Howe, and Laura Bishop. Thanks to the many inspiring students I taught while a doctoral candidate. Thanks also, to the Graduate Employees Organization (GEO), the stalwart graduate student employees union for helping provide me and many comrades with good wages and affordable healthcare. v Being a geographer, I also want to acknowledge two places at UMass which provided sensory stimulation for writing this work: The Durfee Conservatory, which made available a lush green living oasis in harsh winter months, and the “Commons” of the Studio Arts building, where I spent months writing within the giant bright atrium, amid the bustle of artists who reminded me that I was creating something too. To all the many participants of Community Supported Agriculture that I encountered during this research through in-depth interviews, informal chats, or just “being” together. I am grateful for their generous and open sharing of thoughts and feelings. Special thanks to several CSA pioneers who provided deep perspectives that enriched my understanding of CSA significantly. To Jan VanderTuin, a co-founder of Community Supported Agriculture (at Indian Line Farm). I am grateful for his insights, his encouargement, and for his believing in the value of my effort to explore Community Supported Agriculture and its offshoots. To Trauger Groh for kindly taking the time to reflect on the history and evolution of CSA with me, and for welcoming me to a unforgetably inspiring Temple-Wilton Community Farm membership meeting. To Elizabeth Henderson whose book Sharing the Harvest, helped me to channel ideas and sensibilities of the late Robyn Van En, who I never got to meet personally. This book impressed me greatly with its hugely informative ethnography and heartfelt practical guidance. In a note to myself written several years before the completion of this dissertation, I stated: “It is my sincere hope that this humble academic study of mine could strengthen, support, and expand upon the simple genius of Sharing the Harvest.” vi To Melanie Andrews, my high school drama teacher, whom I had not seen in 32 years, but who offered hugs and encouragement just before I completed this dissertation. She reminded me that great teachings last forever. Her phrases “just deal with it!” and “It’s the struggle that makes us strong” will echo forever in my head as simple, but profound messages, always pertinent. Lastly, to my mother, father, and sisters who have always supported and encouraged me. Their commitment as educators has made them all role models to me. Their love and enthusiasm for my many learning explorations is deeply appreciated. To Dad, I’m sorry not to have finished this before you passed away, but may I dedicate this dissertation to you anyway? Is that a yes? Good. Thank you. vii ABSTRACT SEEDS OF A NEW ECONOMY? A QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF DIVERSE ECONOMIC PRACTICES WITHIN COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE AND COMMUNITY SUPPORTED ENTERPRISE SEPTEMBER 2013 TED WHITE, B.A., NEW COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIA M.S., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Ph.D., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor Eve Vogel Amidst widespread feelings that capitalism is a deeply problematic yet necessary approach to economy, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has emerged as both an alternative model for farming and as an increasingly visible and viable model for alternative economy. Using qualitative methods, this doctoral research explores and documents how CSA has become a productive space for economic innovation and practice that emphasizes interdependence, camaraderie and community well-being rather than hierarchical control and private gain. This study also examines how the many participants of CSA have built an identity for CSA—branding it via autonomous and collective efforts. This has resulted in CSA being branded as an ethical and ecological farm/food system and has also resulted in CSA being celebrated as a grassroots anti- brand owned and controlled by no-one. As CSA has built its identity, it has engaged a number of narratives and myths. Many of these myths such as the ability for CSA to viii educate about and build enthusiasm for small scale organic farming have been solidly validated over CSA’s history. Other myths, such as the idea that CSA inherently provides financial security for CSA farmers are more troubling and yet to be fully realized. Finally, this study also makes an overview of CSA offshoots, a variety of Community Supported Enterprises (CSE) that have grown out of and been inspired by CSA. These enterprises represent a new wave of opportunities and challenges to building economic alternatives based on the ethical principles expressed by CSA. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... viii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................